Energy conservation a priority for Dover AFB

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman James Bolinger
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  October is National Energy Conservation Month and Dover Air Force Base is moving into the second phase of a large-scale Energy Savings Performance Contract worth $17 million. 

The project is expected to take nearly two years to build, but will save the base an estimated $750,000 a year after its completion, according to April Stewart, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron energy manager. 

"One of our biggest energy challenges is striking a balance between comfort and energy conservation," said Lt. Col. Mark Ruse, 436th CES commander. "Providing a comfortable environment, especially humidity reduction, is expensive in energy and money." 

The base however, has several ideas included in the ESPC to conserve energy and in turn save money. 

The project will encompass approximately 77 buildings here and will include light fixtures, upgrades and the decentralizing of the Heat Plant. 

"Approximately 56 buildings on base including Buildings 711 and 721 have T-12 type lighting fixtures," said Ms. Stewart. "T-12s are old and aren't energy efficient so we will install T-8 and T-5 type lights which conserve energy. We will also be installing lighting controls, such as occupancy sensors." 

Occupancy sensors are motion and infrared detectors that are installed in the place of a normal on-off switch. 

"We often place them in bathrooms to automatically turn off the lights when someone leaves," she said. 

Ensuring the base has up-to-date lighting is a priority for Dover's facilities, said Colonel Ruse. Lighting makes up a sizeable percentage of the base's energy use, approximately 20 to 30 percent. 

The largest energy conservation project the base intends to embark on is the decentralizing of the heat plant. 

The plant currently runs at 73 percent efficiency, which is low, said Ms. Stewart. It should be around 90 percent. 

"The plant was installed in the 1950s and is running off of '50s technology, which is not energy efficient," she said. "The plant will be replaced by individual boilers installed into each building that is currently fed by the Heat Plant." 

Another concept Dover members must learn is awareness, said Colonel Ruse. 

"With everyone so busy, keeping energy awareness in the forefront of people's minds so they can make daily energy saving decisions is very challenging," he said. "We must help people incorporate energy-saving decisions into their daily routines so they can become automatic." 

These projects and more are included in the budget for Dover's ESPC project; however, the base is awaiting a report from the contractor to determine what facilities on base will receive new energy conservation equipment. The 436th CES expects to have the report 
soon and plans to proceed with construction in March or April 2007. 

"The ESPC we are working on will address many of the energy conservation changes that face Dover, and our energy awareness campaign will attempt to ensure Airmen conserve energy," Colonel Ruse said.

Tips, tricks and facts about energy conservation from the 436th CES

Facts
· Heating accounts for 60 percent of total at-home energy use. 

· Household hot water supply is the second largest energy user in the home. 

· Using the "stand-by" button on your copier will lighten your energy load by 70 percent. 

· Lighting accounts for about one fourth of the electricity used in the United States. 

· Fluorescent lighting is three to four times more efficient and lasts eight to 15 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Tips and Tricks
· Install weather stripping on drafty doors and windows. weather stripping and caulking is probably the least expensive, simplest and most effective way to cut down on energy waste in the winter. Improperly sealed homes can waste 10 to 15 percent of heating dollars. 

· Clean or replace your furnace filters regularly throughout the heating season. Your heating system will work more efficiently, use less energy and last longer as a result. Filters should be changed more frequently in homes with furry pets or homes which accumulate a lot of dust. 

· Turn down the thermostat when going to bed or when you will be active around the house. Make full use of your own energy to stay warm. The savings can be substantial, up to 10 percent. 

· Use your desktop lamp; why light a tennis court to read a sheet of paper? 

· Use compact fluorescent lamps to save energy and cut pollution. 

· For three copies or less, use the printer; for more, use the copier. 

· Laser printers use 300 watts of power; inkjets use only 10, for similar quality. 

· A computer monitor uses 60 watts of power; turn it off if you leave for more than 10 minutes. 

· Recycling paper reduces water use by 60 percent, energy by 70 percent and cuts pollution in half. 

· Dimmer switches are a great energy saving idea. If you dim your lights at least 5 percent, you increase the bulbs life by half. Less power surging through the bulb means less stress on the filament. 

· Turn off the faucet. Saving water can save electric energy, because you are using less of the electrical energy it takes to pump up the water. 

· Set thermostats properly (78 degrees in the summer, 68 degrees in the winter) 

· Turn off lights when not needed 

· Leave windows closed when air conditioning or heat is on. 

· Turn off computer monitors and non-24 hour printers at night.